news digest ♦ Power Electronics
FEI makes TEM sample prep that much easier
Two new tools for 100mm and 300mm wafers will hopefully make TEM sample preparation not so hit and miss
Semiconductor equipment maker FEI has revealed the Helios NanoLab DualBeam system for engineers that need to make vital process improvement decisions.
The firm says its 450HP and 1200HP DualBeam systems have new capabilities that meet the critical requirements for semiconductor process development.
TEM analysis,” says Rudy Kellner, vice president and general manager, Electronics Business Unit, FEI.
“TEM samples must be ultra-thin, of the highest quality, and generated in a routine and consistent manner across a fleet of tools. Typically, as samples get thinner, the difficulty becomes time to results, operator skill level and subtle differences among equipment. We have designed the 450HP and 1200HP systems to overcome these issues. Ultimately, the system’s ability to yield more good samples at double the throughput allows for potentially significant reductions for both the time- to-answer and the cost-per-answer.”
The Helios NanoLab 450HP and 1200HP DualBeam systems can prepare 15nm thick samples with less than a 2nm damage layer in 90 minutes. FEI says this is twice as fast as competitive alternatives. iFast automation software maximises ease-of-use while ensuring consistency among multiple operators and systems.
Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) is invaluable in determining dislocation density, thickness, microstructural and failure analysis and interface quality.
TEM has been extensively used in the past to look at interface quality in III-V semiconductors and is used by many research institutes and universities.
FEI says its latest additions will make TEM sample preparation a lot easier than its predecessors; in the past, TEM sample prep used to be a laborious process and even when you had a thin enough sample, it may have been in the wrong area of the wafer. This often made it very frustrating. But once you had a decent sample, it was well worth the effort as you could see things you wouldn’t using any other technique.
“Developing new processes and technologies that include shrinking geometries, new materials and novel device architectures and ramping those processes to high-volume production quickly are driving unprecedented increases in the demand for
128
www.compoundsemiconductor.net October 2012
QuickFlip grid holders facilitate inverted sample preparation to improve sample quality while maintaining high throughput. Cell Navigation software allows automated navigation within non- unique memory arrays that can locate a single designated bit cell in a 50nm lateral field. Together, these features enable a robust process to prepare high quality, ultra-thin lamella across multiple tools in a consistent manner - independent of operator, a major factor.
The Helios NanoLab 450HP and 1200HP DualBeam systems are available for ordering immediately. The 450HP model can accommodate samples up to 100mm, while the 1200HP system can handle full 300mm wafers.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131